Located in Blakeney Park, 45 minutes west of Ottawa, Canada.

This all started this spring when my local Fish & Game Association, who owns and maintains this quaint riverside park with only a handful of volunteers, had made mention of wanting to have some garden beds put into this recently-reclaimed space that was used as a construction yard for the past three years.

From the Association volunteers’ perspective, they wanted to not have to get off their riding lawn mower to use a smaller mower or a weedwhacker around tighter spots, which is the problem I was able to promise to solve with these gardens. This saves them serious time and headache when they’re doing this with their own equipment and after their workday.

From my perspective, I wanted to create a spot that can draw in pollinators and is very low-maintenance, which naturally is what many of these beautiful wildflowers that we have available are able to accomplish. I chose flowers and grasses which are known for thriving in full-sun poor-soil conditions without too much moisture, dug them up from donors’ yards and took from my sown seedling supply.

Using donated wood chips, loaned machinery to move things around, and a student earning volunteer hours, we still haven’t spent a cent on the project and I expect our only cost ever may be a plaque explaining the project 🤩

We’ll be able to add much more density and also diversify the flowers to have blooms all spring through the fall next year since we’ll be starting seedlings with this project specifically in mind. From the get-go, the expectation I set was that it’d be beautiful by year 3, unless we wanted to spend money to buy mature plants. For the first year to be so many flowering heads has been a huge bonus.

The most exciting part about this pilot is that because it was a success, we’re now moving beyond the most fickle location for mowing, and have just spread another 35 cubic yards of wood chips in the next two spots that are also a pain for them. This brings our total wood chip usage from 8 yards to 43 yards..just a bit more garden space to tackle. I’m very excited by the momentum, and really want this to become a destination wildflower garden that can show success with minimal upkeep.

Today is my birthday and my husband called me out to our garbage cans because he spotted this entity. They were moved because my dogs had become too interested, to our bioswale where the tree frog was found last month.

My INaturalist is not working, but it might be a blue spotted salamander of some kind I can't verify? Ive never seen a salamander in the wild in my life, but my fenced in backyard with chiweenies prowling was very unsafe. I would assume.

No human contact in the transferring, we used what we could find. The little critter was moving but only a little, it seemed pretty frozen...I know nothing about them except dont touch with my hands. Very very very cute.

Kind of a odd question but I have a house I'm hoping to sell that has fairly substantial native garden beds. Is there a place that I could post it to reach others who would be interested? I figure it would be a win win for me and someone looking to buy something like that.

I'd post it here but I'm not sure if the mods are cool with that sort of thing?

Reading some of the horror stories of people selling and having everything ripped out makes me anxious!

I know that you can find bugs in the most random of places, but the number of new-to-me kinds I’ve seen on my own property since I started planting natives is wild (heh). And then I look them up and learn some new facts and it’s really cool.

This morning I was about to get on my bike to go somewhere when this guy in my driveway stopped me (1st photo). It wasn’t moving but I had to get to my appointment. When I came back 30 mins later, it was in the same exact position so I was worried it might be a goner.

Looked up some info and found out it might be getting ready to overwinter? Well the driveway is not an ideal spot for that. I read that it wants leaf litter so I moved it into one of my beds. Immediately curled up in defense (2nd photo). Definitely alive. Check out those red bands!

Came back in and read some more. It’s a generalist and one of the things they like to eat is plantain. Well I know I have some of that growing in my lawn, so I ran out to grab a leaf for it. When I returned to it, I saw that it was making its way under some leaves (3rd photo)! Yay! I was worried maybe I traumatized it.

Maybe this is a boring post, but I’m pretty excited about my find. I’ve never seen a giant leopard moth but it looks sick!!

Sleep well, little buddy!

Hello there, I'm participating in a plant salvage in the next few weeks and my main goal as a propagator is to create a seed bank from the area. I want to preserve these genetics for the future, and possibly provide plants for restoration projects.

I'm really concerned with doing this correctly and getting as many genetically distinct individuals as possible. I've listened to a few in defense of plants episodes that focus on a few different seed banks in the USA but I'm unable to find more information that isn't geared towards vegetables or cultivars online.

Does anybody have any suggestions on how I should go about this? In the episodes they talked about collecting from many different mother plants in an area, all spread out in location, which to be frank, I'm not understanding how they use that terminology. Like do they mean specifically female plants if they are dioecious? Does it just mean a single individual plant?

I'm quite stressed about this because I want to do it right, so my idea is to get paper bags and a lot of smaller 4x6 envelopes. Each bag will be a specific species of plant ( these are grasslands being turned into a pipeline, so rare plants will be present ) and each envelope will be seed collected from a different individual, all properly labeled with location and relevant information. Does this sound like a good way to preserve genetic diversity?

The ID shouldn't be an issue as there will be experts on site so I'm not worried about labeling really.

We moved in 4 years ago and we're still getting the landscaping up to snuff.

I have plans for all natives in a particular bed in the front, and I need advice/wisdom about when to plant either seeds or plants.

My goal is to have growth above ground as quickly as possible. I want to protect them, and have strong root growth so they have the best chance of making it.

My most pressing need is a ground cover for Epson control in many spots on my land.

Should I sow SEEDS this fall/winter?

~If yes, should I put a seed mat on top to protect from wind, rain, animals until they get established?

~How long DOES it take to get some little roots that'll secure it?

~or, should I sow into containers then transplant them outside in the spring?

OR, should I plant little plugs or small plants?

~If yes, when? Now (fall/ early winter), or spring?

I'm obviously new at this and did NOT inherit anyone's green thumb, I'll tell ya.

Thank you for your advice!!

From Native American Seeds, purchased this month but tested almost 2 years ago.

We planted a lot of new shrubs in September and the fringe tree in the photo in May. How do you tell what’s normal the first Fall?

Growing between my house and the fence in Minneapolis. Yard was long-neglected prior to my taking over, and curious what this little ground cover might be. Hopefully native! But if not… oh well!

Two new items added this week! Heliopsis helianthoides, Early Sunflower, and Phlox divaricata, Wild Blue Phlox.

Wild Blue Phlox is found in the mountains and Piedmont of NC in moist shady conditions. Only growing to be about a foot tall, it makes a great border or ground cover for your shade garden.

https://www.knottybynaturetrees.com/product-page/phlox-divaricata-wild-blue-phlox

Early Sunflower is also found in the Piedmont and mountains of NC but in drier, sunnier spots. It typically only grows to be 3-4' tall and just as wide, but will spread by seed and rhizome to fill in an area or compete in your grassland.

https://www.knottybynaturetrees.com/product-page/heliopsis-helianthoides-early-sunflowe

We will be open this Saturday 9-4 at 5911 Mount Hermon Church Rd. in Durham. If Saturdays don't work for you, you can place an order online and schedule a time to pick up at a time that is more convenient.

Many trees are and all annuals are currently discounted 20-50% off at this time. The annuals are basically being sold as seed for next years plants as of now, but they will all easily germinate without any help.

Ive only seen a few posters from Arizona so I’ll just brain dump what I’ve learned here in case it helps anyone that stumbles upon this in the future. I fell down the native plant rabbit hole in April and started in my backyard in May, in Phoenix, because I guess digging holes and running irrigation lines is more fun when it’s 100+ out. I added a desert willow tree, desert globemallow, fairy duster, brittlebush, deer grass, penstemons, greggs mistflower (butterfly crack), and pineleaf and desert milkweed plants in a 12x12 area. All in pots from local nurseries. I also have a pre established bed full of Mexican evening primrose that goes absolutely nuts with pink flowers and takes over everything.

Everything got planted in full sun in 100 degree weather and had no issues, really a testament to planting natives. They get water for a few minutes daily (minus the desert willow, I deep water it weekly in summer) and I will cut it back going forward since they’re well established. I am adding a few native daisies and chuparosa, so I should have multiple plants blooming year round. I get a lot of bees, hummingbirds, wasps, birds, butterflies, etc and it’s awesome to see the impact you can have even in a relatively small space.

I’ve had a group of queen butterflies showing up daily to the greggs mist (and milkweed, but mostly the mist) and it keeps getting bigger, so I was eating lunch on my patio watching them and noticed one bumbling around that was much larger than the others and was like holy shit, is this what I think it is. I got video and confirmed it was a monarch, it’s funny how one butterfly showing up can make you feel.

I’m going to revamp my front yard now that the weathers nice. I’ve got my parents and friends planting more natives and I plan to do some guerilla planting around my neighborhood’s communal areas. Shout out to crime pays but botany doesn’t for getting me here.

More Arizona info:

The Maricopa native seed library is a great resource, you can get free seeds at participating community college libraries and they have a ton of info on native pollinators, larval host plants, blooming times, etc and have a maricopa pollinator pathway garden certification program. Their YouTube channel has some good content as well. If you have any interest in rainwater collection Brad Lancaster is the man, he has a great series with crime pays on YT.

Tucson is where it’s at for native plant nurseries, so I’m hoping to take a field trip down there this winter. It looks like the local nurseries around town stock more natives in fall and there are native plant sales in October and spring including ones at the botanical gardens and the Boyce Thompson arboretum. I just try to double check the native plants at my local nurseries are indeed native because sometimes they are not.

I got a bag of seeds from my local state Conservation agent (last year). I have kept them in my 'fridge in a paper bag. They're dry, no mold anything, seem fine. The temp is supposed to go down into the thirties this week, and I'm wondering if I should plant them now, or wait. This is the information they gave me in February.

I don't want to waste them, or have them start growing and then die from cold temps in Nov/Dec/Jan.... Thanks!

Earlier this year while weeding under winterberry (read: lots of bird-deposited weeds) I noticed this flower. Does anybody have ideas as to what it might be?

Edit// Thank you everybody for quick replies. It seems like the consensus is bellflower/Campanula or even specifically spotted bellflower. It might have grown from blown-in seed, this bed is near where our nursery lot drains off into and it’s likely a seed travelled this way to its location. Hope you all like the fleabane rosette, the winterberry stems, and any other actually native plant in my pics 😂.

I'm trying to make up my mind about near-natives.

I have a small non-profit where I give away free native seeds and plants. I've tried to stick pretty strictly to plants native to my state at least (Massachusetts). But I've noticed that all of the native plant orgs and nurseries around me aren't nearly that strict. Native Plant Trust for example, one of the best native plant orgs in the world in my opinion, sells lots of near-natives whose ranges start up to a few hundred miles from here.

For example, one I'm struggling with right now is Blue Mistflower. It's a popular plant and is even sold at our local (non-native) town nursery. Native Plant Trust sells tons of it. But it's range ends around NJ, hundred of miles from us in the Boston area. My neighbors have lots of them and I do notice a decent amount of leaf damage from (presumably) herbivorous insects, and the monarchs are obsessed with them this time of year.

So I'm kind of just wondering a few things. A: does anyone know of any good studies on near-natives, assisted migration, etc. relating to ecological value to herbivorous insects and such. Or alternatively, negative aspects such as invasiveness (I know we've had issues with things like Cup Plant, Sunchokes, and Black Locust in New England despite them being near-natives). And B: What are people's general thoughts about near-natives here?

I feel like maybe if I'm being much more strict than the flagship native plant organization of the area, then maybe I'm just being too strict about it and should loosen my range. I do see the value of widening my options to include more charismatic plants as a method to convince more people to go native with their plants. Would the draw of those plants (Mistflower, purple coneflower, pawpaw, etc) outweigh the loss in ecological value because it would bring more people into the fray of planting natives?

I dk, I can't make up my mind and am clearly just stressing myself out about it. I could use some guidance if anyone has thoughts about it.

I have two shipments of plants to get settled before winter. I've always read to rest shipped plants 24-48 hours before planting. Would you follow this advice in mid to late October, or does the time crunch before winter supercede any need for rest? Nothing was bone dry. I've given them water and gently puffed them up.

Native shade perennials and shrubs, zone 6 Ohio

Central TX

Roadside asters and goldenrod

First fall rainstorm after putting a ton of energy into the garden the past few months. Thrilled for spring, each new bloom is a gift! Cheers

Do you buy plants? Help a University of Waterloo study understand plant buyers in Canada.

Link: https://uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1zDlBgl4KWk8Y62

Hi all,

Located in MO, zone 7a. We are currently getting a couple inches of rain after prolonged dry. I have some 4” pots of sedges and perennials being delivered today and debating if it is best to transplant them now or wait till the rain ends and soil drains a bit - Sat/Sun.

The ground is soaked currently but the garden plot is not flooded.

There were MANY patches of these in a nature preserve area along the trails.

I work with a native plant landscaping company in Tennessee (zone 7b), and Bermuda grass is one of our biggest challenges with lawn conversions. I'm curious to hear from landscapers or home gardeners who have found an effective long term solution outside of glyphosate, ideally one that works for homeowners who don't want to wait 2 to 3 years for a conversion or deal with constant weeding until the plants mature enough to shade things out.

Over the years on my own property, I've tried:

• Occultation (tarping)
• Solarization
• Sod cutting followed by smothering with cardboard and mulch
• Smothering with mulch only or with cardboard + mulch repeatedly as bermuda continues to grow through
• Lasagna gardening

After 5+ years, every area where I tried these non-herbicide methods is now lush Bermuda lawn again. The only approach that has actually worked for me is glyphosate.

I've also tried manual removal: digging down 8 to 12 inches and shaking out every bit of soil to remove all of the rhizomes. It works, but it's prohibitively labor intensive/expensive for anything more than a couple hundred square feet, and it's not great for soil structure either.

I've heard that mulching at least 2 FEET deep for at least one year (ideally at least two) can work, but most clients aren't willing to wait two years before we can even start planting. That much mulch is also expensive, can look pretty ugly just sitting there for 2 years, and isn't really an option for a front yard landscape or anything on a slope.

I try to explain to clients that selective herbicide use in ecological restoration is a bit like chemo for cancer, something to be careful and targeted about, but sometimes the most ecologically friendly option available. For example, solarization can kill beneficial insects, fungi, and bacteria in the soil, wiping out the ecosystem living there. Tilling and sod cutting can do similar damage while also destroying soil structure.

So two questions for anyone that has gone through a similar journey:

1. Has anyone had success eradicating Bermuda grass with a method I haven't listed here?
2. Do you have any great resources to share with clients to help them understand and get on board with selective herbicide use? I sometimes refer to Ben Vogt's articles and here are some other articles i have referenced in the past, but I am always interested to read new research.

• https://extension.arizona.edu/publication/converting-turf-xeriscape-landscape-how-eliminate-bermudagrass-lawn-using-glyphosate
• https://www.monarchgard.com/thedeepmiddle/to-spray-or-not-to-spray-garden-site-prep-and-reviving-biodiversity
• https://lovenativeplants.com/properherbicideuse

Thanks in advance!